I'm sole developer working in some niche industry in team with 9 engineers.
Today our CEO announced that 80% of people in our company (thousands) received pay rise(due the inflation etc.).
It is first time in 4 years that I did not get any pay rise.
Just month ago I asked(via email) for feedback from my boss and he praised my skills, ambitions and working speed.
Reason that I did not get pay rise might be that I'm not afraid to criticize some stupid ideas, and I'm very offensive when it comes to handling projects (I lead, and I work hard). So I often have some silly(very short lived) conflicts with some of the engineers.
I love my job and industry, but I often have problem with my team (non programmers) and I lack "emotional" support form my boss(no "thank you" for working in weekends for example).
My boss refuses to talk with me about it.
Should I just quit?
> Reason that I did not get pay rise might be that I'm not afraid to criticize some stupid ideas, and I'm very offensive when it comes to handling projects (I lead, and I work hard). So I often have some silly(very short lived) conflicts with some of the engineers.
I'm all about pushing back on "stupid ideas" but you might want to think about coming up with a less abrasive way to do it. That won't win you any friends and could hinder your ability to get other jobs in the future "He was a hard worker but no one wanted to work with him". You can skate by for a while acting this way but it will come back to bite you. Working on your soft skills can be invaluable and let you go much further than you otherwise might.
But all that said, I'd look for a new job unless you want to try asking for a raise. Even if you get the raise, if it feels like pulling teeth, then start looking. Also don't work outside 9-5 hours unless you are compensated, companies will take advantage of that and not care if you burn out.
Assuming you don't want some time out in between jobs of course.
Whatever spike of adrenaline/endorphins you get in that moment will not be worth it in the long run.
Most people don't, though. They can't go long without a job, and having a gap on their résumé is scary (for good reason—if you need a job, anything that might make getting the next one a little harder isn't good).
I think it's reasonable to expect your manager to provide more details. I would give my manager a heads up that if they do not explain I am going to escalate. In my escalation I would stick to the facts. "The CEO said 80% of the company got raises. I did not get a raise. I have asked my manager for an explanation. My manager refused to explain."
P.S. you should totally work on those personal defects that you've identified in yourself. It sounds like you may also have some responsibility in creating a toxic work environment.
As a manager, I cannot emphasize this enough. It happens all the time.
And if it doesn't, then yes - it sounds like there are some problems in both directions, so maybe it is time to find something else.
IMO, he's probably not wanted there given what he's said about himself and that the boss won't talk about it. The whole situation sounds to me like they don't want to fire him but are hoping he'll leave.
Depending on where the company is located, I would say this could be likely. In certain places, an intentional termination of any sort, can result in legally mandated exit payout packages.
The best way to get a pay raise is to change your job. This is how the industry works.
Many people fail to realize that their relationship with the company is a contractual one and nothing else. Sure, your coworkers are most likely pleasant to be around but that does not change the _nature_ of a corporation. It exists to simply generate profits for itself and has no other goals.
This is why getting emotionally attached to your work is a mistake because sooner or later it will harm you in some way (burnouts, preventing career growth, slowing financial growth,..). Companies know this of course and usually use it to take advantage of people. What do you think all those ping-pong tables, free foods, team building "exercises", lectures about how we are in the trenches together, etc are supposed to achieve? All those are meant to amplify one's emotional investment to a soulless corporation.
Still not convinced? Just look a the CEO of bolt right now with his emotionally charged war speech as the ship is sinking.. Lord knows what he is saying to his team internally to squeeze a few extra cents out of them before the end.
But I digress; Yes, you should quit if you are unhappy. Don't go to your boss, don't "discuss it", all that will do is paint a cross on your back if they find out.
Start interviewing, as soon as you have a position you like, hand in your resignation letter and rotate off. No feelings hurt, nothing unprofessional this simply business.
Remember that you are a professional and your health and happiness of yourself, loved ones and family members is what takes priority over everything else.
Best of luck!
I'm not particularly good at office politics, and corporate performance management is pretty useless. Moving jobs is how I have maximised my growth, experience and pay.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this is the right thing to do in this case. Understanding why no pay rise was given is a huge learning opportunity. I would certainly take no pay rise as a signal that the company wasn't happy in some way. Knowing why that is would be very helpful for personal development, whether staying or moving on.
It would help to approach from the position of wanting to improve and asking if improvement in any areas are needed. Maybe they don't have good reasons, maybe they do and were too scared to tell someone known to be abrasive. A bit of humility goes a long way.
Many years ago someone taught me the value of learning from my mistakes. It's not enough to just acknowledge your mistakes, or apologise for them, which is difficult enough. Then you have to do something about it.
Well, that's a red flag if I ever saw one. It sounds like you already have some areas you know you should be working on, and that's good. But if your boss refuses to talk to you about your career / pay then something is going on. Or maybe you just have a bad boss. Either way, I'd be looking for that reason alone.
Hard work alone won't make you grow your career, you need to be tactful and you need to be a team player. Calling an idea stupid is childish and unprofessional.
If your boss announced that almost everyone else but you got a raise, he probably wants you to quit, just not enough to straight up fire you.
Either find somewhere else or consider this a wake up call to change.
Several months ago my CEO mentioned in a townhall that raises would be larger than normal this year due to recognizing inflation.
At the tail end of my reasonable and normal performance review I got by far the smallest raise I've received in close to a decade.
So, I'm job searching, because the clear signal is my contribution is no longer valued. Had the CEO said nothing, I might be telling myself that the company was in hard times or something, but instead I know I'm an outlier.
You should apply to other positions, it sounds like you are frustrated... or worse get some enjoyment from being frustrated. It is in your best interest to not be this way, and it can give you some illusionary ego boosts that are toxic.
From someone who has treated most jobs like a lifestyle, a job is a job and you shouldn't be more invested than this.